There are four more Lifelong Learning lectures in our highly popular, free spring Lifelong Learning lecture series, so mark your calendars for these interesting programs:

• This afternoon (Thursday, May 3) from 4–7 p.m. is the second half of the two-part Lifelong Learning lecture, “What IS a Healthy Diet?” when local nutritionist Zoe Groulx shows you how to improve your diet by the food you eat and its preparation.

• Thursday, May 10, will feature “Pueblo Architecture” from 6–7:15 p.m. by Dr. Charles Riggs, chair of the Department of Anthropology at Fort Lewis College. He will discuss his experience and research on the ancient Pueblo culture and architecture of the Southwest.

• Thursday, May 17, brings us “Ghost Ranch in New Mexico: A Sacred Sense of Place” from 6–7:15 p.m. by Dr. Andrew Gulliford, professor of history and environmental studies at Fort Lewis College, and Debra M. Hepler, executive director of Ghost Ranch. He will talk about the history of Ghost Ranch through slides while she will speak about the present and future of this unique place.

• Eight men and women gathered back in 1995 to exchange stories of their early lives in Pagosa as pioneers and homesteaders. The result is a two-hour documentary DVD called “An Afternoon with the Natives” that will be shown on Thursday, May 31 from 4–7 p.m. along with a Q and A session.

Free technology programs

Tech Tuesday is 10 a.m.-noon, May 8 and 22, and 3-5 p.m. May 15 and 29.

Introduction to Skype will be taught May 4 from 11 a.m –noon.

Excel 2010 Basics will be taught May 9 from 1-3 p.m.

Power Point 2010 Basics will be taught May 18 from 10 a.m.-noon.

Uploading and Organizing Digital Photos will be taught May 24 from 10 a.m.-noon.

Free adult films

We’ll show two more films in our Classic Hollywood Film series at 1 p.m. on Fridays, both silent movies. “City Lights” with Charlie Chaplin will be May 11, and “The General” with Buster Keaton will be May 25.

Cinco de Mayo

Come into the library tomorrow from noon to 3 p.m. for crafts and snacks to celebrate Mexican heritage in our region.

E-books

New e-books purchased exclusively for our patrons include “Calico Joe,” John Grisham’s latest suspense novel, and three romance stories by E.L. James — “Fifty Shades Darker,” “Fifty Shades Freed” and “Fifty Shades of Grey.” If you are not aware of how to access the free e-book opportunities available for our patrons through your library, please go to http://pagosa.colibraries.org/technology, or you can pick up a paper copy at the library.

Books on CD

“An American Spy” by Olen Steinhauer is a thriller about the disappearance of a CIA-trained assassin. “Born to Darkness” by Suzanne Brockmann is book one in the Eternal Youth futuristic series. “Another Piece of My Heart” by Jane Green explores the complications of a woman marrying into a ready-made family. “So Damn Lucky” by Deborah Coonts is book three in the Lycky O’Toole adventure series. ’“The Expats” by Chris Pavone is a suspense story set in Luxembourg. “Victims” by Jonathan Kellerman is the latest in the mystery series featuring forensic psychologist Alex Delaware and LAPD detective Milo Sturgis.

New novels

“Betrayal” by Danielle Steel tells of a renowned film director who confronts an act of unimaginable treachery. “Deadline” by Fern Michaels is the latest in this popular author’s Godmothers series. “Letter from a Stranger” by Barbara Taylor Bradford is a novel of family secrets stretching back from the present day to the streets of World War II Berlin and Istanbul. “The Unruly Passions of Eugenie R.” by Carole DeSanti is a historical romance set in the time of France’s Second Empire. “No Time like the Present” by Nobel Prize winner Nadine Gordimer explores the life of a “mixed” couple in the “new” South Africa.

Nonfiction

“Give a Little” by Wendy Smith shows how easily generous Americans are dipping into their pockets with small donations that are transforming our world. “Winds from the North” by Scott G. Ortman explores the mysteries behind the “abandonment” of Mesa Verde and the formation of the Rio Grande Pueblos. “Carly’s Voice” by Arthur and Carly Fleischmann shows firsthand the challenges of living with autism and the excitement of a breakthrough for a 10-year-old girl. “Drift” by Rachel Maddow argues that we have drifted away from America’s original ideals and become a nation strangely at peace with perpetual war. “Imagine” by Jonah Lehrer tells how we all can master a variety of thought processes to become more creative. “Magnificent Obsession” by Helen Rappaport is the story of Queen Victoria and her obsessive love for her husband Prince Albert both before and after his death. “How to Be an Everyday Philanthropist” by Nicole Bouchard Boles, an expert in no- or low-cost giving, offers 330 ways to make a difference in your home, community and the world.

Mysteries and thrillers

“Blowout” by Sen. Byron L. Dorgan and David Hagberg is a thriller surrounding a top secret initiative to develop clean energy from coal. “The Ranger” by Ace Atkins is the first of a new series featuring an Army Ranger in rural Mississippi. “Whatever You Love” by Louise Doughty follows a mother’s plan to revenge her young daughter’s death. “Perla” by Carolina De Robertis tells of the life of a privileged only child in Buenos Aires who must face her father’s involvement in the abuses of a disposed military dictatorship. “The Professionals” by Owen Laukkanen is a thriller about four out-of-work college grads who turn to kidnapping to survive. “Guilty Wives” by James Patterson and David Ellis is about four wives who face an unwanted adventure after a vacation at a pampering hotel in Monte Carlo. “Elegy for Eddie” by Jacqueline Winspear is the latest in the series featuring Maisie Dobbs, psychologist and investigator.

Large print

“The Dressmaker” by Kate Alcoot follows the lives of a lady and her dressmaker who survived the sinking of the Titanic. “Before She Dies” by Mary Burton is a romantic suspense story. “Chasing Midnight” by Randy Wayne White is a thriller involving Russian black marketers in Florida. “Lone Wolf” by Jodi Picoult follows a family faced with difficult decisions about their father’s end of life. “The Stranger from Abilene” by Joseph A. West is a western in the Ralph Compton series. “Rusty Sabin” by Max Brand tells of a white man brought up by Cheyenne Indians who returns to the white man’s world.

“Blackberry Summer” by RaeAnne Thayne is the start of a new series set in Hope’s Crossing, Colorado. “The Odds” by Stewart O’Nan follows a couple in financial trouble who risk their finances and marriage at the roulette table. “The Bungalow” by Sarah Jio is a historical romance that begins in a Pacific war zone in 1941. “Murder Your Farlings” by J. J. Murphy is the first book in the new Algonquin Round Table mystery series. “A Catered St. Patrick’s Day” by Isis Crawford is a mystery with recipes. “The Boy in the Suitcase” by Lene Kaaberol and Agnette Friis is a thriller set in Copenhagen.

Thanks to our donors

We are grateful to Jean and David Smith for their generous donation in memory of Kent Davis. For books and materials this week, we thank Mary Jo Schreiner and Camille Simpson.

Website

For more information on library books, services and programs — and to reserve books from the comfort of your home — please visit our website at http://pagosa.colibraries.org/.